Forever
by WroughtBetwixt
Summary: For these two, promises are rarely broken. T for language.


"Ragr!"

"Seiðskratti!"

Thor could hear the insults from the side of the garden. He was up and moving the moment the first slur was screamed, his blood pumping hard in his heart. At first he walked, but as the rough, masculine snarls became laced with higher pitched squalls of pain, he ran. He was only thirteen summers old, but he was faster than any of the other boys his age... Thor had crossed the three hundred feet of space in mere moments.

"Ergja- AAAH!"

One of the four bullies suddenly went flying through the air, rolling across the ground and into a marble fountain with a bone-shattering crash. The remaining three scrambled back; they stared at the eldest son of Odin, pinned to their spots by eyes that blazed like blue fire. Between them and the golden-haired, looming figure lay the younger of the two, curled on the ground with his hands covering his face, blood oozing from between his fingers. Thor didn't look at Loki; he stepped over him, a crack of thunder rumbling in the distance as he stalked towards the other boys.

"Who did this?" Thor asked, hsi voice too quiet. No one replied. Pulling his lips back in a feral snarl, Thor's voice roared through the garden. "WHO DID THIS?"

Silence fell over the area. A small crowd was forming in one corner of the area, children and adults alike staring at the scene unfolding. Thor was just barely aware of someone murmuring to get Odin; he was much more focused on one of the three in front of him, a short and stout boy with red, curly hair. The chubby boy looked scared, and was starting to speak.

"I-it wasn't my idea," the boy stammered, pointing at the unconscious boy. "He started it. I was just here for lunch! These guys were the ones who wanted to do it!"

"Shut up," the second, a dark haired boy, growled at the red-head. "You stupid-"

"ALL of you SHUT UP." Thor slammed his foot down on the ground, and a bolt of lightning snapped across the sky. "Why? Why did you do this?"

One of the smaller bullies, a scrawny brat that hung in the back, wiped his snotty nose on one sleeve. "The little coward uses seiðr! He's- agh!"

The words in the brat's throat were choked into nothingness as Thor suddenly lunged, sweeping the kid off the ground with one hand that squeezed around his throat. The other two didn't move to help their friend; the red-head was crying. The crowd had grown into a spectacle, and none present in that crowd helped the boy, either. When Thor next spoke, it sounded like the thunder that was snarling from all four corners of the sky.

"Odin Allfather, our king, is well-versed in seiðr. Do you dare call our king and my father a coward? Do you dare suggest that the Allfather is not worthy? I know not who you are, but I will find out. Oh, you better believe I will. And when I do, if I ever hear that such words pass any of your lips again, I will cut out your tongues and give them to your fathers so that they may know how their sons have dishonored them." Thor released the boy, dropping him to the ground. "Get out of my sight, all of you. GET OUT."

The dark haired boy and the sniveling brat grabbed their limp companion, dragging him off. Thor turned, going back to Loki and kneeling at his side; his little brother was shaking and staring into the air with blank eyes. Cursing, Thor scooped Loki into his arms and, holding him close, began the long walk back to home.

"What are we going to do?" Frigga asked her husband, misty eyes watching the thunderstorm rage overhead. "Can we really stand by and watch our son get treated so?"

Odin watched the two small figures in the scrying mirror, one carrying the other. "We wait for them to talk to us."

"And if they don't?" Frigga frowned. "My love, our sons are strong young men, but I fear for Loki."

"Why?"

"You know why."

Turning the mirror face down, Odin looked at Frigga with one eye, and gazed into the hearts of his sons with the other. A soft smile crossed his lips. "They will protect each other. They always have. I only hope Thor will use this to grow into a more mature young man. As for Loki..." His smile faded, and one old, weathered hand settled on the back of the mirror. "He will know pain. He will suffer. None of us will be able to stop it. But maybe, just maybe, together they can make each other's difficulties a bit easier to bear, if they can grow to trust and rely on each other."

Frigga opened her mouth, then closed it again with a slight nod. "As you see it, Allfather."

There was no one in the palace when Thor entered with Loki; his anger had dulled into a smouldering flame, but he was thankful for the peace and silence that filled the halls as he carried his brother to their chambers. It gave him time to walk slowly and with care, without worrying about someone pestering him about Loki or asking what had happened. Soon, he was in front of the two doors that lead to their rooms. Thor hesitated in front of Loki's chambers, then walked past them to his own; shutting the door behind him with his foot, Thor went to his bed and set Loki down upon it as gently as he could. Grabbing a heavy, green wool blanket, he draped it over his brother before sitting down on the edge of the bed.

And then, as the minutes ticked by, Thor began to think.

It wasn't that he didn't like to think. He knew his family worried about his wit and wisdom, and rightfully so. Compared to Loki, Thor was painfully aware of how behind he was in any sort of guile and common sense. The problem in thinking was where his thought tended to lead, and in the end, Thor was the sort of person who liked to do rather than think. The problem lay with the things he wanted to do when he thought about things... Right then, what Thor wanted to do- when he thought about what had happened- was tuck Loki into bed, go back outside and smash the faces of the ones who had hurt Loki into the ground.

Instead, he turned his eyes to Loki's face, his gaze moving from his brother's ebony hair, to his unblinking grey-green eyes and his pale skin. He had to stay, for Loki. He couldn't leave his brother alone, not like this. No matter how much bloodlust sang in his veins, he couldn't let it win. He had a responsibility. And so, Thor pulled his legs onto the bed and lay down next to Loki, breathing and watching Loki breath. Watching those unseeing eyes, waiting for them to blink, to clear and recognize Thor. If Thor had to think, then he would think about this, as he often did; he would wait and worry about his brother, and think of what to say to Loki until he snapped out of the trance.

"It's safe now, my brother. Everything is going to be okay," Thor started. It never worked, but it helped Thor feel like it was true. "We're home. I'm sure mom and dad are worried about us."

Silence.

"I saw lots of flowers today." He stopped and hesitated, wondering if mentioning the garden at all would be a good idea. But then Thor saw the shaking had stopped, and he quickly continued on. "I don't remember what they were called. They had some from Midgard, though. Isn't that amazing? They were red, with so many petals. They smelled really nice. Then there were these bright yellow ones, that looked like trumpets. There was one I really liked. It was this strange blue, with five petals. It looked like a star. They said it lives just about forever, I guess that's what evergreen means, anyways. I wish I could live forever. I heard dad might be able to, but he never tells me. Don't you think it would be amazing, to live forever?"

"Would I have to put up with you the whole time?"

Thor snapped out of his rambling, looking into those seafoam eyes that glittered with just a hint of mischief. Loki's presence effected him as it always did, soothing the sharp, hot shards of rage that lingered from earlier into a cool, smooth surface. Without missing a beat, Thor grinned. "Put up with me? Who wouldn't want to! I'm the strongest prince in all the Nine Realms. Plus, we're both sons of Odin. We're family. Face it, brother, you're stuck with me anyways."

Loki smiled a tired smile, closing his eyes. "Well, then. I guess I have no choice. Forever it is."

Thor watched him a moment, trying to puzzle out the strange crack in Loki's voice. But then Loki opened his eyes and Thor could see the grief there; Thor reached out, putting his hand on Loki's cheek. "I'll always be there for you. Until the day I die, I will keep you safe, no matter what. I promise."

"And what happens when you can't?"

Rolling up on his side, Thor leaned over Loki and kissed just under those beautiful eyes, wiping away a stray tear with his lips. "That's impossible."

Loki didn't reply; he lifted the edge of the blanket and wrapped Thor under it with him instead, cuddling close as they did when they were children. Tucking his head under Thor's chin, Loki finally let out a long sigh. "One of these days, I'll be strong enough protect you, too."

Biting back an amused chuckle, Thor ran his hand through Loki's hair and smiled the smile of one who was indulging a loved one's absurd idea. "I'm sure you will."

Intertwined, they both drifted into a light, afternoon sleep... blissfully ignorant of the future.


End file.
